Cabin by the Lake
by Briee
Summary: Luke and Grace run away together during the summer. Things happen, making Luke and Grace see each other in a different light. They both change, but for the better?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: So this story would happen around the end of season 2 or the beginning of season 3. It happens in the summer, right as school stops. There's a lot in this story that might not be "right" according to the story, but I changed some stuff (creative licence or whatever). I needed to, just to make the story work.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing :(**

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"Hey Mom," Luke Girardi said, walking in the kitchen.

"Not now," Helen answered, talking on the phone to someone. She waved Luke away as she listened intently to the person on the other line.

Luke sighed and went upstairs. It was a normal occurrence that no one listened to him, except for his girlfriend Grace Polk. He smiled at the thought of her. He had just come back from seeing her.

He passed his brother Kevin's room, the door being closed. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Kevin was probably still at work, or out on a date with a girl.

Luke knew that Joan was home and knocked on her door.

"Go Away!"

"Joan, it's just me," Luke answered, not sure if he should open the door or keep it closed.

"I don't care!" came the reply. It sounded as if Joan had been crying, but Luke knew better than to ask what was wrong.

Knowing his father wasn't home yet, Luke went to his room to see if he had some e-mails. Opening his computer, he waited for the internet to pop up. Seeing that there were no new e-mails, Luke got off.

He paced his room, waiting for his mother to get off the phone. He wanted to tell her that his teachers were thinking of making skip a grade, tell anyone for that matter. Grace was the only one that knew, and she had been happy. She didn't exactly show it, but he could tell.

He heard his mother hang up the phone and went downstairs.

"Hey mom!"

"Hey Luke. I need to finish this supper, okay?" his mother answered, a look of worry on her face.

Luke nodded, his face falling. "Okay."

His father came home, and supper was served. But whenever Luke tried to get a word in, someone would interrupt him, whether it was his sister with her latest club-joining, or Kevin's big story, or even his father's latest breakthrough in a case.

"Hey, what's with you?" Kevin asked, noticing Luke's small frown.

"Oh, it's nothing, it's just-"

"I bet he's just bummed that one of his theories didn't work out. But it's not fair that I can't go to that party tomorrow!" Joan whined. Luke sighed, and continued picking at his food.

After supper was over, Luke retired to his room. "What a loving family I have," he thought bitterly. Before realizing what he was doing, he grabbed a bag and filled it with clothes. He scribbled a note on a spare piece of paper, took his keys and scaled out of the window. Tomorrow was the last day of school, and Luke could afford to miss it.

Starting his car that his parents had gotten him for his birthday last year, Luke drove away from the house.

Not knowing where he was going to go, Luke drove around until he stopped in front of the Polanski house.

He noticed that the car was gone, but there was a light on in the living room. Luke knocked, hoping Grace was the only one home.

Sure enough, Grace opened the door in a pair of drawstring pajama pants and a black tank top.

"What do you want geek?" Grace asked.

"Run away with me."

"What!" Grace exclaimed, the shock on her face evident.

"Run away with me. Just for a while. Tomorrow's the last day of school anyways, and I can't stand spending another moment with my family. We have a summer cabin we use sometimes in Henderson, in North Carolina. It would take us about half a day. Come with me," Luke pleaded.

Grace hesitated for a moment. "Come inside," she said, holding the door open.

Luke stepped past Grace, and noticed that she was alone. If this would have been a normal circumstance, his teenage mind would be hard at work. But nothing was normal to him at the moment, except the idea of running away with his girlfriend.

"So, why do you want to run away?" Grace asked, sitting back down on the couch. Luke sat next to her.

"No one listens to me, except you. I know I sound whiney, but it's been going on for too long. No one cares about me cause I'm the smart guy that doesn't need help with anything. It's so sick and tiering!"

Grace nodded and took his hand in hers. Normally, Grace would never do that, but she could tell Luke needed comfort, or else he never would have came here. Grace nearly laughed as she thought of herself as a source of comfort, but she realized that she too found comfort in being with Luke.

"So, will you run away with me? I know your home situation isn't perfect either," Luke asked, hoping Grace would say no and talk him out of it.

But Grace wanted to leave, even if it was only for a little while. A few weeks without her drunken mother would do her well.

"When do we leave?"

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**Author's note: Been thinking about this one a while. Tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Hello! Thank you to all who reviewed. It inspires me so much.**

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Luke didn't expect Grace to agree, but she did. The look of surprise was evident on his face, and Grace couldn't help but laugh.

"You really want to go away with me?" Luke asked, still not sure if he had been hearing things.

"Yup."

"Just you and me?"

"Yup."

"With no parents what-so-ever?"

"Do you want me to say no?" Grace asked, arching her eyebrow. Luke quickly shook his head.

"I'm just shocked," Luke explained. Grace shrugged it off, and stood up from the couch. She raised her arms, and stretched. Her tank top rode up, leaving some of her stomach exposed. A glint of silver told Luke that Grace's belly button ring still inhabited her navel. He licked his lips, that ring having been the subject of a few late night fantasies.

"Dude, you're staring," Grace commented, noticing Luke's far away look.

"Uh... right..." Luke said, uncomfortably. "Well, you should get a bag ready. And some sleep, because I might fall asleep at the wheel if I'm sleeping in my car."

"Nah, you're not sleeping in your car. You'll sleep in my room," Grace said. A look of surprise crossed Luke's face, but Grace just shrugged. "You know, on the floor." Luke's goofy grin subsided a little, but he was still smiling.

"Fine, fine." He was only human. A teenage boy, to be exact.

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The next morning, the two teens snuck out of the Polanksi house, making their way to Luke's car. Luke started the car, noticing that he was in need of some gas. When Grace got in, they drove off to the nearest gas station.

"Shouldn't you two be in school?" asked the gruff gas station attending. Luke shook his head, hoping that Grace would hurry up at the bank. "Your girlfriend over there looks on the up and up, but you look a little young..." he said, scratching his balding head.

"I look young for my age..." Luke lied, trying his best to sound sincere. But lying was never a strong point for him.

The attending eyed Luke one last time before replying, "All right. That'll be $20 for the gas and snacks."

Luke payed the man, and waited for Grace to come back. When she did, her face looked a little pale. "Dude, we should get going."

"Why?"

"Just drive geek, and I'll explain!" Grace exclaimed. Luke did what he was told, and took off towards the highway. "Dude, your mom was in the bank. I slipped out without her seeing me, or at least I think she didn't see me..."

The trip up to the cabin took most of the day, and the two teenagers stopped in the small town just before the cabin to buy some groceries. The woman at the cashier was checking Luke out, which annoyed Grace.

"Do you have some sort of staring problem?" Grace snapped, unable to take it any longer. Luke looked up from where he was counting change, and the young woman seemed taken back.

"Excuse me?" the blond cashier asked. Luke looked back and forth from his girlfriend, back to the cashier, and then back to Grace.

"You heard me, quit staring at my boyfriend," Grace said with as much venom as she could muster.

"Oh, I didn't know he was your boyfriend," the cashier sneered, "but he looks familiar. Are you Luke Girardi?"

Luke looked surprised. "Yeah. Who are you?" he asked, unsure who this blond was. Her name tag said "Cindy", and Luke could have sworn she looked familiar also.

"Cindy DuChamp. Remember we used to go swimming together whenever you'd come up with your family?" she asked, acting like those were the best days of her life.

"Oh yeah. I remember you," Luke said. "You had that green bathing suit. Yeah, yeah. Okay, I know who you are." Grace inwardly groaned. She didn't need this right now.

"Can you people hurry it up?" asked an old woman behind them, with a basket full of dog food. "I need to get home to feed my dogs."

"Keep your nylons on, we were just leaving," Grace said, before dragging Luke out of the store.

"Where you jealous?" Luke asked, as they lifted the food into the trunk.

"Jealous?" Grace laughed. "Never. I was just tiered of the blond dits' attitude."

Luke smiled. "You can be jealous, you know."

"Yeah, yeah. Now let's get up to that cabin so I can get some sleep. You snore, dude." Luke laughed and both teens got into the car.

The cabin came into view, a beautiful wooden cabin with flowers growing all around, and Luke suddenly felt content. He had always loved the peace and tranquility of the small cabin, with the vast lake in the back. It was such a change to his normal life, it felt so very refreshing.

Grace couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the place. How the trees were just high enough to cover the cabin, but yet not cover the sky, and how all the plants were vivid and colourful. The lake was viewable from the front, it's shining surface stretched out for miles.

"Ah, I feel home now," Luke sighed happily. "I feel home, without my family. I think this is one vacation I won't have to wish my family drowned in the lake."

Grace sniggered. "Sometimes I wish your sister would drown too. But we can't all get what we want," she said, pushing past Luke. She grabbed the keys out of his hand, and walked up to the front door. "Are you coming, or are you just gonna stare at the lake for the next few weeks?"

"Yeah, I'm coming," Luke said, picking up his bags. He stepped inside the cabin after Grace, and smiled. It was exactly as they had left it, with the exception of dust everywhere.

There was a beautiful fireplace, made with grey stone. On the mantle was a picture of the Girardi family, years ago. Luke was wearing his braces, and Kevin was standing, in the picture. Grace laughed at how funny Luke looked, and how Joan looked funny in her one-piece bathing suit. "Mom wouldn't let her buy a two piece. It was either that, or a granny suit. She chose that," Luke explained. "Blackmail," was Grace's respond.

The living room, where the fireplace was, was joined to the little kitchen, where a fridge, a stove and an old table resided. Luckily, the fridge and the stove where still in good working conditions. It seems as thought the Girardi parents payed their electric bills for the cabin.

Luke and Grace unloaded their groceries, storing the stuff in the fridge and the small cupboard. They were still full from lunch, having ate at the small diner in the town, before coming up to the cabin.

They went upstairs and went to their separate rooms. Grace was to use Joan's old room, while Luke would use his and Kevin's old room. They unpacked their clothes, and met in the hallway to start cleaning up the place.

Once they were done, Grace made some hot chocolate, and Luke started a fire. The two sat down on the graying couch, and watched the sun set from the window next to the fire place.

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**Author's note: Not quite sure where this one's going. Just gonna go with the flow, see where this story goes. I LOVE reviews, yet out of the 100 people who've read this story, 5 reviewed for the last chapter. :(**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: I just want to let everyone know that I know there are some things I left unexplained, and if you don't know what it is, well then never mind. But as I was re-reading my other chapters, and a review I got, I realized I had forgotten a few things. Thanks to CharlestheBold for pointing out that I needed to get some things clear! Oh, and this chapter is a bit different, cause it's about Joan. Luke and Grace aren't in this one.**

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Back at the Girardi household, Joan woke up to the sound of crying. Curious, Joan got out of bed and headed towards the door. The sound was coming from Luke's room, but it sounded like a woman crying. It sounded like her mother.

"Mom?" Joan asked, walking up the stairs. She found her mother and father sitting on Luke's bed, her mother clutching a note in her hand. "Mom, what is it?" Joan asked, nervous to what the answer may be.

"It's L-L-Luke. He's r-r-run away!" sobbed Helen, her whole body racking. Will held her tightly and tried to sooth her. "He's left a note," she said after calming down a bit. She stretched her hand out to show Joan.

_Dear Family,_

_I regret to tell you on this piece of paper, that I have gone away. It won't be forever, just for the summer. I would love to admit it wasn't your fault, but unfortunately, it is. Ever since I can remember, everyone else came before me. Why, I do not know. Maybe it was because you thought I could take care of myself, which I can. But sometimes, I just need my family to listen to me, and it seems as if I am not important. _

_Yesterday, I leant that I was going to be skipping a grade, meaning that next year, instead of two years ahead, would be my last year. I tried to tell all of you, but you were too busy. Mom was on the phone, and then making supper, Joan was doing god knows what in her room, and at supper, no one would give me the opportunity to reveal my news. This was the thing that pushed me to run away. _

_Of course I will be returning before school starts, and I am ready to face whatever consequences come with my actions, but I needed to get away. I will call once in a while to keep you informed on my well-being, but other than that, please do not come looking for me. I am not alone, I have someone with me. You don't need to worry, I'll be fine. _

_Love,_

_Luke_

Joan stared at the paper, her mouth wide open. Luke, run away? But the more she thought of it, the more she realized that he was right, he almost never seemed ever to be able to talk about what was bothering him. The only one that really seemed to listen was Grace. "Oh my god," exclaimed Joan. Then, glancing upwards, she muttered, "Sorry."

"What?" asked Will. Maybe his daughter had some information on his missing son.

"Well, there are only two people that Luke would have asked to go with him, Friedman and Grace. I'm thinking Grace might be the more probable person he'd take with him. Wherever he is," Joan speculated. She knew she wouldn't be allowed to call Grace this early in the morning, so she'd have to wait for school. In a way, Joan hoped that Grace was the one that Luke brought along. She knew that Grace would be in a foul mood for the entire summer if Luke wasn't around. And a Grace in a bad mood was not the kind of Grace Joan wanted to hang with.

Helen was still crying when Joan left for school. Helen was hoping that her son wasn't too far away, and that he was doing fine, not missing food or anything. As much as it pained her that she had neglected her son so much that it drove him to run away, she knew that this was just Luke's way of rebelling. Joan had joined a million clubs, and Kevin had gone to many parties that Helen and Will had forbidden him to go to.

When Joan got to school, she noticed Adam was alone. "Where's Grace?" Joan asked.

"Either late, skipping, or with your brother," Adam answered. "Where else?" Joan looked around nervously before telling Adam about Luke's run away. "Dude, your brother? And you think Grace is with him?" Adam asked, shocked that they would do that.

Joan nodded. "I'm not positive, but since I see Friedman, it's obviously Grace he took with him."

Just then, Friedman and Glynis appeared at Joan's side. "What's this I hear about Luke and Grace taking off?" Friedman asked, a look of pure evil in his eye. Joan knew if she were to tell him, she would never hear the end of it from Grace.

"I didn't say that!" Joan exclaimed. "I was just wondering if Luke and Grace where going to take off at lunch." Joan mentally kicked herself. They had AP Physics as one of their classes this morning, and her lie wouldn't pan out if both Luke and Grace weren't in class.

"Oh. But if they did take off together, you'd tell me right?" Friedman asked, wanted to get some dirt on Grace. It might save him from getting his ass kicked for a while.

"No," Joan answered, before walking away with Adam, leaving behind a stunned Friedman.

All through the day, whenever the phone rang, Helen would answer it with anticipation. She wanted to hear Luke's voice, telling her he was all right. She wanted to yell at him for leaving. She wanted to cry because he was gone. She wanted to go out there and find him, like a mother who lost her son in a groceries store. Most of all, she wanted him home so she could know that, without a doubt, he was fine.

Around 5 o'clock, Luke called. Since everyone was home, they all rushed to the phone, hoping it would be Luke on the other line. Helen got to the phone first, and picked it up. "Hello?"

On the other line, a voice said, "Hey Mom."

Helen nearly burst into tears. "Luke! Where are you? Who's with you? What in the world were you thinking of , running away from home? No, wait, don't answer that last question!" she rushed. She wanted her baby home. After talking to Luke for 20 minutes, Helen hung up the phone.

"What did he have to say?" Will asked. Helen smiled feebly.

"He said he was fine, that he was in a safe place that he knows well. He's with Grace, and they have enough money to last them for the month. He'll call a lot, and hopes we're well. And he doesn't want us to go looking for him," Helen summarized.

"Well of course we're going to look for him! And if he has his girlfriend up there..." Will said, not wanting to think what could happen.

"Dad, I know Grace. She's not that type of girl. And anyways, they're both smart," Joan said, trying to defend her best friend. "It's not like they would just rush into anything. Especially Luke, who has to draw charts just to identify variables, or whatever."

Helen and Will looked at each, unsure whether leaving the two of them together was the best idea. But since they wanted to respect Luke's wishes, they came to the conclusion that they had no choice but to hope they were smart enough not to do anything.

School was done, but Joan's job at the book store was still going. Once again, she found herself alone in the bookstore, her boss off somewhere with his demanding wife. Joan didn't mind much, she wanted to work on some summer homework. This year, she didn't want to have to do it all the weekend before school start.

Just as she was about to start her AP Physics homework, the little bell on the door jingled. Joan glanced up, but the person who came in had already gone down one of the aisle. Joan tried to see who it was from her seat, but she couldn't, so she got back to her homework.

"I'm glad you're not leaving your homework to the last second," said Goth-Boy God. Joan looked up, and sighed.

"What do you want?"

"Call Grace. See how she is."

Joan was confused. "Why do I need to call Grace? Has something happened to her? Tell me!" Joan's mind ran a mile an hour, different scenarios running through her mind.

"Just call her," God said, leaving the store with his signature wave. Flipping on her phone, Joan dials Grace's number.

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**Author's note: Yeah, so next chapter, it'll be Luke and Grace. But sometimes, I'll add what's going on back in Arcadia. Reviews please! I only got about 5 last chapter :(**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: Hello there, my wonderful readers! I hope you enjoyed last chapter, since I didn't get very many reviews glares evilly for a moment or two. And I KNOW I have some spelling mistakes, but I used to have a beta. What happened to her? I do not know. Now, back to Luke and Grace!**

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Luke woke up next to Grace on the couch. The embers in the fire had cooled off, but the heat in the room was still noticeable. Even if the cabin was in the mountain, and it got chilly in the evening sometimes, the day time could be horridly humid. So, Luke opened all the windows in the kitchen.

Feeling hungry, Luke began to look through the cupboard, hoping that something looked appetizing on this warm morning. He found a box of granola bars and took two out. He poured himself a glass of chocolate milk, and a glass for Grace. He brought the stuff over to the sofa, and gently woke Grace up.

Grace groaned as she slowly woke up. Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled softly as she saw Luke looking at her. "I'm not for sale, dude," she said.

Luke laughed at her comment. "Not too early for the comments I see." He handed her a granola bar and the glass of chocolate milk. "I have something planned for lunch," he told her, noticing the look on her a face, a mixture of surprise and confusion on the choice of breakfast food.

They spent the day cleaning and putting stuff away, getting ready to be living there for a few weeks. At lunch, just like Luke promised, they went into town. Luke brought Grace to an old woman's house, a woman Luke knew from his childhood.

"I used to come over and play with her grandson all the time," Luke explained. "We were both into astronomy, and we would spend hours trying to figure out space. Mrs Spencer would always make us big lunches, and when I saw her at the groceries store, she invited us to lunch today."

Mrs Spencer was an elderly woman, already in her late 70s. But she took such good care of herself, she could pass as a woman of 60. Having lived near the lake all of her life, she swam daily, and ate as heathy as she could. She ushered Luke and Grace into her small home.

"Luke! It's so nice to see you. It seems as if it's been such a long time since I've seen you!" exclaimed Mrs Spencer. "I just wish George was still here. He would have loved to meet your girlfriend."

Luke laughed. "I'm sure he would have love to meet Grace. Did he go off to college?"

Mrs Spencer smiled. "Yes, he did. He got a scholarship for a university somewhere in New York. Smart one, he is. Made the honor roll all through high school," Mrs Spencer beamed. "I bet you made the honor roll too, didn't you Luke?"

Luke smiled. "Yeah, I did."

Lunch with Mrs Spencer was pleasant, and Grace had a good time. Mrs Spencer showed her some pictures of her earlier years, protesting against the government. Grace felt as if she could stay there forever and talk about the corruption of the government and the law system, but time flew by quickly, and Luke and Grace had to head back to the cabin.

"Wow, I never knew old people could be cool," stated Grace, as they entered the house. Her phone began to ring, and Grace answered it. "Hello."

Grace's immediately turned from a smile to her normal scowl. "Yeah Dad. I know I didn't show up at school, or show up afterwards, or show up at the synagogues last night... No, I don't expect to be home to go to the synagogue tonight, or any night for the month... No, I'm not still in Arcadia. I'm in North Carolina... Yeah, he's here with me... No, I don't plan on doing that... No, I'm not coming home to take care of my mother... Even if you do call them, the Girardi's know we're gone... I don't care what you say, I'm staying here and that's final!" Grace angrily shut her phone.

Luke, who had moved to the kitchen to get a glass of water, had heard everything. For a genius, he hadn't been very smart. Of course Grace's parents would have called her, making sure that he wasn't taking advantage of her. Of course everyone would be looking for them. Of course everyone wouldn't like the idea of two teenagers alone in a cabin. Well, maybe Friedman would, but he wasn't here. No, it was Luke that was there, and he knew better.

"Parents get too worried," Grace said, her smile back on her face. Luke was glad that the phone call hadn't affected her good mood. He loved watching her smile, because she almost never smiled. It lit up her face, making her troubled face look radiant.

"Yeah, I know. Speaking of parents, I should call mine. But, first, a swim in the lake. Wanna go?" Luke suggested, not really excited about the fact that he had to call his parents. Who knew what trouble his parents had in store for him.

Grace nodded. "Sure, let me go get on my bathing suit," she said, before bounding up the stairs and into her room. Luke followed her example, and went into his room to change.

After the two teenagers were in their bathing suits and had their towels, they headed down the doc. Luke, who was wearing a pair green swimming shorts, jumped in first. "Come on in Grace! The water is very refreshing!" Grace stood on the dock feeling a bit uncomfortable in her bathing suit. It was a black two piece, the top piece showing off a small portion of her stomach. But, after some encouragement from Luke, Grace jumped in.

The couple came out of the water feeling refreshed and hungry. So, after Luke and Grace had dried off and gotten changed, they decided that while Luke called his parents, Grace would make supper.

Dialing the phone, Luke tried to calm his nerves. He felt the compelling need to hang up the phone, but before he had a change to think about it, the line was picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Mom," Luke said, almost stumbling over his words. He knew he was in trouble, but at least his father hadn't answered the phone.

Helen started asking him all theses questions, such as were he was and who he was with. Luke assured his mother that he was fine, that he had enough money and that everything was okay. He had to make his mother promise that they wouldn't come look for him, thought she reluctantly agreed.

Grace made some macaroni and cheese from a box for supper, and the two teenagers settled down on the dock, soaking their feet in the water.

"My mom wanted to know exactly where we were so that she could come and get us. I made her promise that they didn't come looking for me, that I would come back on my own," Luke said, not even looking at Grace.

Grace looked at Luke and noticed that he seemed different. He seemed more confident, and less geeky, in the mountains. He seemed more at home here than she had ever seen him, even at his own house. Maybe Grace was wrong, stranger things have happened, but maybe it was her that was changing. She definitely could get used to not having to get home to the smell of alcohol and vomit, to the sound of her mother's drunken slur disapproving of everything and anything Grace had ever done.

Noticing that Grace was looking at him, Luke turned to look back. "I'm not for sale, you know," he said, a smirk on his face. Grace laughed. Yup, she was the one changing.

The next day, as Grace came in from her swim, her phone rang. Looking at the caller I.D., she saw that it was Joan. Flipping the line open, Grace said, "Hey Girardi."

"Hey Grace," Joan said. "What's new?"

"Nothing much. I'm guessing that the reason you're calling isn't just to say hi."

On the other line, Joan chuckled. "Guilty as charged. I'm guessing you're with my brother, right?"

Grace nodded, but realised that Joan couldn't see her. "Yeah, I am. I'm not telling you were we are though. I don't want to go back home just yet."

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"Oh, I'm better than okay. I love it here. Luke does too. I don't want to have to leave," Grace admitted. Maybe it was the freshness of the air, or the warm wind that was blowing around her, but Grace felt so calm and peaceful. She admitted how she was feeling to Joan, something she never did. "_Maybe this place changes people,_" Grace thought. And somehow, it didn't seem like just a silly thought anymore.

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Joan hung up the phone feeling quite surprised. Never had Grace admitted how she felt, about anything. Well, except the one time where she kissed Luke in front of Joan on his birthday. Grace sounded so happy and so calm wherever she and Luke were, and Joan knew that God didn't want them to leave just yet. She had to convince her dad not to go try and look for them...

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**Author's note: I finally know where my story is going! I've been sick for the last two weeks and I've finally thought of a good plot. But, since I'm better, don't expect the chapters to be coming as quickly. I won't have all day to work on a chapter, only a few hours every night. And yes, most of the stuff I put it is relevant. It all fits into the plot. But I can't say more than that without giving away all my secrets! Anyways, I would like it if you reviewed. I only got about 5 last time, making a total of...let's see... 12 reviews for 3 chapters and about 340 people have read the chapters.**

A.N. 2: I just want to thank Shadow for pointing our that Jewish people don't go to mass. I don't know very much about religion, so I might make mistakes about it sometimes.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: Okay, so I just want to say that I'm not sure how fast these chapters are going to come, since I've been getting busier and busier. I'm so sorry for the wait.**

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"Dad?"

"Yeah Joan?"

"Leave Luke alone."

Will looked up sharply from the newspaper. "Excuse me?"

Joan took a deep breath. "I talked to Grace yesterday. She said she was so happy where she and Luke were, and that Luke was happy too. Dad, Grace never admits anything, especially that she's happy. She even called Luke by his first name. Not geek, or Rocket Boy, or Girardi. She called him Luke. I think that we should leave them alone, let them come back on their own."

Will looked at his daughter, trying to decipher what she had just said. It's true that whenever the Polanksi girl came over, she always seemed to have a scowl on her face. And Will had never known Grace to call any of his children by their first names. Was Joan right? Should he leave his youngest son and his girlfriend alone together, wherever they might be? If Luke was happy, maybe that was all that mattered...

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Joan drove to the bookstore in a good mood. Things with Adam had finally become normal, a big achievement for them, and her father had though about postponing the search for Luke. Hopefully, that was exactly what God wanted, for Luke and Grace to be somewhere together.

Joan shivered at the thought, but kept reminding herself that God always had a plan, even if it never was obvious. And as much as she found it annoying to do everything God asked, she always like feeling like she helped the world somehow, like with the ripples.

As Joan walked in, her boss was just leaving. "Another wife emergency?" Joan asked. He nodded and grumbled, muttering incoherent words as he sped towards his car.

No one had come in the store for a while, so Joan began to think about what God's plan could be. Surely he didn't want Luke and Grace to... Her mind didn't want to even think the notion. The bell on the door rang, jerking her out of her thoughts. Joan groaned at who it was.

"Speak of the Devil," she said, before she realized what she had said.

"Actually, I don't think you were actually talking, and I am not the Devil, though some do think I am." Soprano-looking God said to her.

"Okay, whatever," Joan said, rolling her eyes. "What do you want? I'm busy today, and I don't have time for riddles."

"I see that the store is pact," God said, gesturing to the empty store, "so I won't keep you long."

"God is sarcastic. Great!" Joan snapped. "Just like the first time we met you were snippy."

"You understood snippy just like you understand sarcasm. It's how I work."

"Yeah, yeah, you work in mysterious ways. I know." Joan sighed. "Just get on with it."

"Did you talk to your father?"

"I talk to him this morning, and since you see everything everyone does, you should know that," Joan said, wanting to get this over with. God was being annoying today, even more than usual.

"No, I mean talk to him, take an interest in what he's doing. Think about it. I'll be back tomorrow," He said, before leaving the store with his signature wave.

Joan felt discourage. She talked to her father, all the time. She didn't know what would be different this time. Groaning, Joan decided to go find a book to get her mind off God for a while.

-----

When Joan got home, she found her father on the phone with someone. It wasn't often that her father was home before her, and Joan sensed something was up.

"Dad?" Joan asked, cautiously walking into the kitchen. Her father turned to her and raised his index finger to show he would be off in a minute. Joan sat patiently at the table till her father got off the phone. The curious side got the better of her, and she asked, "Who was that on the phone?"

Will frowned. "Remember that kid that Luke used to play with when we used to go up to the mountains?"

"George, or Greg, or something," Joan answered, a little confused to where this was going.

"He got stabbed today."

Joan gasped. She remembered the little kid with big glasses, an older version of Luke. He was probably an adult now, and Joan couldn't bear to think that he was stabbed. "Did he get stabbed in Arcadia?"

Will nodded. "He was passing through and stayed for lunch. He got mugged leaving the restaurant, and got stabbed for fighting back. He was going to visit his grandmother."

Joan felt tears well up in her eyes. "Oh god. That's horrible. Is he going to be okay?" Joan hoped that George would pull through. She had always been found of him when they were younger, and she hoped that maybe she could spend some time with him again. If Luke knew, he would already have gone to the hospital.

"Oh no! Luke doesn't know! They were best friends. He needs to know!" Joan said, hoping her brother would come home because of this.

"We'll have to wait till he calls. He didn't leave a number for us to call," Will said, a shadow passing over his face. He didn't like the fact that he could not reach his youngest son.

Joan nodded. "Okay. I think I'm going to go see Adam." Joan left, her good mood gone.

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**Author's note: I'm sooooo sorry I didn't update faster, but my mind was drawing a blank at what to write. I had the plot set up, but didn't know how to deliver it. Plus, I've been so busy with homework, and more and more tests are popping up. I'll try to update faster, but I'm not making any promises. And sorry for the kinda short chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: Sorry if this chapter took a while, and that it's pretty crappy, but I haven't been inspired. I know what I want to write, but I don't know how to write it. Plus, it didn't help that no one reviewed my last chapter. Yeah, that's right. Not one review for Chapter 5. I know it was bad, but some feed back would have been nice!**

**-------**

The sound of the birds chirping had become Grace's favorite sound to wake up to. No more alarms, no more parents yelling that you're late, no more nothing. Just the birds.

Grace listened to the soft song before getting up and dressing. It was already a warm day, and she and Luke were going to help Mrs Spencer move a few things. _Hopefully this visit will be as fun as the last, _Grace thought.

As Grace went downstairs, she heard Luke humming. It wasn't often that Luke would hum, but it made it different. Grace felt as if she and Luke had lived here forever, already haven become accustom to everything around. She wanted to stay here forever, just her and Luke.

She watched as Luke made them some eggs, and noticed that he didn't just seem different, he looked different too. He seemed calmer, and he was tanned. Grace had the uncontrollable urge to just kiss him, right then and there. He turned around, and a smile captured his lips. Grace smiled back.

Yup, Grace never wanted to go back home.

----

Mrs Spencer greeted them warmly. "It's about time you two showed up! I was worried the cookies were going to get cold." Luke laughed at that, and Grace smiled. Her usual comments popped into her mind, but she disregarded them. Mrs Spencer had only been nice to her, and shown interest in what she believed in. How could she not be nice back?

Mrs Spencer told the two teens to go downstairs to help hr clean out George's old bedroom. She was going to be putting that room up for rent, and she needed help to bring everything upstairs.

Walking in the room, Luke felt a rush of emotions. It had been years that he had been in this room, a room full of science and knowledge. But since he had been in there, many things had changed. Where there was now a poster of an 90s band, used to be a poster of the solar system. Where various scientific instruments had once been, a row of pictures of a beautiful woman stood. His room was no longer the blue color that Luke remembered, but more of a dark yellow color.

"You okay?" Grace asked, noticing the look on Luke's face.

"Yeah. I'll be fine."

----

Even at 7 years old, Luke loved science. He and his new found friend George would spend hours talking about one scientific thing or another. He was glad that someone shared his interest in knowledge, since no one in his family could care less if the sun revolved around the earth instead of the other way around. George, who was only a two years older, didn't mind talking about Galileo or about Einstein. In fact, he loved it.

"I wish my family would listen to me," Luke said, sighing as he and George soaked their feet in the water.

"My Grandma's the only one that listens. My mom and dad are too busy," the other boy replied. Luke nodded, knowing the feeling.

"If I ever have to run away, I would run away here." Both boys agreed that this would be the best place to go.

---

Grace knew that this room was affecting Luke by his far away look. It pained Grace to see Luke looking so lost amid the boxes scattered around the room. Since Mrs Spencer was still in the room Grace refrained from comforting him.

"Hey Geek, the faster we get this done, the faster we get to go swimming," Grace said, hoping to get Luke to snap out of his memories. A ghost of a smile appeared on his face at the thought of Grace in a bathing suit and begun putting things in boxes.

---

After having worked for 3 hours straight, Mrs Spencer let the two teen take a break. "Let me go get some cookies and some lemonade for the two of you," she said kindly, noticing how hot they looked.

"Thanks," they mumbled at the same time.

They sat in silence on a box, not even looking at one and other. Grace could tell that Luke missed his friend.

"Look dude. If you don't want to talk about how you're feeling, I get it. But don't ignore me."

Luke looked up at the sound of Grace's voice. He had been ignoring her since they got here, and he knew he would have to pay the price for it.

"Sorry. I-"

The sound of something tumbling down the stairs took their attention away from their talk. Mrs Spencer's limp body slithered down the stairs with juice staining her green shirt. Luke and Grace rushed to her side.

"Go call 911!" Grace ordered and Luke scrambled up the stairs. Grace felt for a pulse and found one. She noted that Mrs Spencer's chest was rising and falling, meaning she was still breathing.

"They'll be about half an hour, since the hospital's in the next town over," Luke said, hurrying down the stairs. Grace nodded. Mrs Spencer looked like a different woman. She was pale and sick looking. Not like the Mrs Spencer Grace was used to, full of energy and flushed.

Grace would make sure that Mrs Spencer was still breathing every few minutes. The attempt to wake her up had been futile and they hoped that nothing was wrong. The ambulance was there in 25 minutes and both rode with Mrs Spence to the hospital.

After waiting in the waiting room for almost an hour, a doctor came out. "How is she?" Luke asked, worry written all over his face.

"Were you two the gentleman and woman with her?" the doctor asked, hesitant to give out her condition. The two nodded eagerly, wanting to know just what had happened.

"I'm Dr Mitchell. Unfortunately, Mrs Spencer fell due to cancer in her bones." Grace gasped in horror. "Her hip gave out, making her fall down the stairs. It's an early stage, but due to her age, we would have to start treatment right away. Would you happen to know where her grandson is? She's been asking for him."

Grace and Luke looked at each other then back to the doctor. Neither knew where he was, only that he was in New York at college. They shared this information with the doctor and asked to go visit Mrs Spencer.

"She should be awake right now, but she will probably be disoriented by the medications we gave her."

"Why did you tell us about her condition? Isn't that reserved for family members only?" Grace asked, feeling uneasy on how willing the doctor seemed to give the information.

Dr Mitchell seemed uneasy with the question, but answered it never the less. "Mrs Spencer asked me to tell you, since it was you too who helped her."

Grace noted that the doctor was young, not any older than late 20s, and probably not used to talking to the relatives, or friends in this case.

"Thanks," Luke said before he and Grace went to find Mrs Spencer.

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**Author's note: Once again, I apologize for the lateness of the chapter, but nothing was coming to mind. PLEASE review. I got no reviews on my last chapter :( **


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: OH! The plot thickens as we are getting closer to the end. I figure no more than 5 or 6 chapters left, depending on how fast things go.**

**----------------------------------------------**

"Ah, Luke. I'm so glad you're here," Mrs Spencer said warmly, sitting straight up in her bed. "Is George out there with you? I wish to tell him not to leave his toys lying around everywhere."

Luke looked at Grace, who was staying to the back of the room, before sitting down. He took the old woman's hand and patted it comfortingly. "George isn't here. He's in New York, remember? He's in college now."

"Oh. Yes. I nearly forgot. Thank you my dear," Mrs Spencer said, a small smile on her face as she unfolded and refolded the top part of her blankets. Luke stared at the woman lying in front of him and noted that she seemed like a different person.

Grace walked up next to Luke and sat in the seat next to his. She silently took his hands when she saw the raw emotion in his eyes. He seemed helpless, unable to do anything. He looked at her that way once before, when he held her as she cried in the classroom when they first started dating.

They sat there with Mrs Spencer until they were told to leave by the nurse. The drive back to the cabin was long and silent. Neither wanted to comment on the day's events.

Luke dragged himself inside and decided to call his sister. Something was telling him she could help. Luke knew it wasn't possible, but he needed some proof to settle his restless mind.

He dialed the number, putting the phone to his ear. The line was ringing and Luke waited impatiently for someone to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Joan. I'm so glad you picked up."

"Luke! How have you been? How's Grace?" Joan asked, worried about them.

"Fine, fine. Listen, I need a favor..."

--------

After Joan hung up, she was feeling mixed emotions. She was happy that her brother told her were he was, but made her swear not to tell, or he would tell their parents that she was talking to strangers again. Joan definitely did not want to go back to crazy camp.

She was sad that Mrs Spencer had cancer. She had always been such a wonderful woman that Joan found it unfair that is was her that was stuck with this illness. She now had another reason to be mad at God.

Joan had told Luke what had happened to George and told him she would go speak with him. Leaving a note to her parents, she set off towards the hospital.

-----

"Luke are you okay?" Grace asked as he sat next to her on the couch. Luke didn't answer. He just stared straight ahead. "Hello? Earth the Rocket Boy!" Grace said, playfully pushing him.

"Don't touch me."

Grace looked at him, not recognizing who he had just become. This was not the Luke that Grace had fallen for. "Fine then," Grace said, getting up from the couch. "All I wanted to do was help you, to make you feel better. You're going through something I don't understand. If you don't let me understand, I can't freakin' help you!"

Grace stormed off towards the lake. She pulled off her shirt and shorts, having her bathing suit underneath her clothes, and jumped in. Tears threaten to fall, but Grace fought them. No guy was supposed to make her cry, and she wasn't about to let it start now.

Grace swam blindly, not knowing nor caring where she was going. She lifted herself on the first dock she could find, only to find the cause of it all. She was standing on the dock of Mrs Spencer's house. Sighing, she made her way inside, thunder storm clouds rolling in.

Grace made her way to the bathroom in attempt to find towels. She opened the door and looked around. One towel was left in the open pantry and Grace took it. Sitting on the toilet seat, Grace dried herself off. She saw a piece of paper sticking out of the medicine cabinet. Her curious side got the better of her, and she opened it. The paper fluttered to the floor and Grace picked it up.

"'How to prevent cancer'," she read out loud, her voice shattering the silence in the house. "Much good it did." Grace notice that Mrs Spencer had circled "Family History of Cancer" and knew straight away that was the reason for her healthy living.

-----

Joan drove carefully towards the hospital, a raging thunder storm over head. She hoped that Grace and Luke were fine in that Cabin with the weather being as crummy as it was. Joan remembered a summer where the rain had started leaking in the roof and buckets lined the floor upstairs.

Finally arriving at the hospital, Joan ran all the way into the reception area, feeling very wet. She walked up to the attending nurse and asked, "Can you please tell me in what room George Spencer is, please?"

"Joan, I am so glad that you're helping your brother. See, I told you staying home today was a good idea." Nurse God said. She flipped her hair back and popped a bubble in her mouth.

"Great, God chews bubble gum. Another thing I enjoy to cross off my list. Just tell me the room."

"Room 205, on the 3rd floor. Just remember, good things will come out of this."

Joan rolled her eyes. Nothing good ever came out of having cancer, but Joan knew better than to tell this to God. He probably already knew that and He probably has something planned. Joan knew better than to ask.

Joan went to the third floor, and quickly found room 205. She went in and found a handsome man sitting up in the bed. His stomach was bandaged, and his glasses were broken in the middle. It looked as if they had been fixed with tape. George looked up, squinting, and looked at Joan funnily. "Joan?" he asked. Then he laughed. "My pain medications must be making me hallucinate." He ran a hand through his sandy hair.

"No, it's really me. It's Joan Girardi," Joan said, smiling slightly. She didn't think that George would have remembered her.

"Wow," he said. "I didn't know you guys lived in Arcadia. How's Luke? And Kevin?"

Joan smiled slightly. "Luke's fine. He's got a girlfriend now. Kevin's not bad, considering he's now in a wheelchair."

"Yeah, I remember reading something in the paper about it. That must suck. And you say Luke's got a girl? I bet she's a geek, like him. Right?"

Joan laughed. "Far from it. Grace is... interesting, to put it lightly. She a total rebel and pretty 'anti' everything. I don't know how they got together. I'm not sure I want to know," she said. They both laughed. "What about you? Aren't you in university or college now?"

"College. Couldn't pay for university this year. My parents didn't exactly leave me much in their will." Noticing the look on Joan's face, he explained. "Well, my parents didn't want me to go into science. My dad wanted me to become a lawyer, like he was. When I told him I didn't want to be a lawyer, but a scientist, he went ballistic. I had to finish school living at my Grandmother's and then my parents died in a car accident. They left me practically nothing, and left everything to my sister."

"That's horrible!" Joan exclaimed.

"Yeah, but my sister told me she'll pay for university next year. She said she had been looking for me ever since Mom and Dad died." His face darkened for a moment before he smiled again. "So, where is Luke anyways? I would have liked to meet his girlfriend. I wonder if she's hot..." he laughed at the look on Joan's face. "Okay, okay. Where is he though?"

Joan's smile faded a little. "That's sorta why I'm here. See, my brother and his girlfriend ran away- long story- but they're at our old cabin. Your grandmother, well, she's in the hospital. She had a tumble down the stairs." George's eyes grew wide. "But the worst of it all is that she has cancer." George began to breath heavier.

"Oh, God. Is she okay? What treatments do they have her on? I should be there. I need to get there!" he began to lift himself from the bed.

Joan gently pushed him back into his bed. "She's okay for now. It's a really early stage. They're already starting her on chemo pills because her veins are as good as a younger persons. She's in good hands, don't worry. When you get better, I'll take you up. But for now, calm down, or else the nurse will make me leave. So calm down, and I'll call the hospital for you. You can talk to the doctor. Okay?" George nodded. "Good."

-----

Luke sat on the sofa trying to figure out everything that's happened. His mind was drawing at a blank trying to think about this whole situation scientifically, a first for him. He snapped out of his thoughts when thunder boomed above the cabin.

He looked around and couldn't find a trace of Grace. "Damn it," he swore, remembering how he had snapped at her, and remembering her storm off.

Luke looked outside and saw her clothes lying in a pile outside, and he hoped that she was not in the water.

------

Grace had lingered long enough at Mrs Spencer's house, having occupied herself by looking through photo albums. She wanted to get back to the cabin, and try to get Luke to lighten up.

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**Author's note: Okay, so I know that the cancer part to some people doesn't seem relevant, but it does. Everything is entwined together, like a giant spider web. Wait till you find out why I put it in there before telling me it's "irrelevant". Okay? **


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note: Just wanna thank CharlesTheBold for his help and stuff. I really appreciate it! Also, I'd like to say to krystallizedapple that if you think I might be mad at you for your comment it chapter 6, I'm not.**  
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Joan sat on her bed after arriving from the hospital. She was exhausted and felt sick. Hospitals had never been her favourite place to be and after her sickness, she hated them even more.

George had been nothing like she thought. The geeky image was gone, and now a handsome, yet intelligent, man had taken it's place. If Joan hadn't been dating Adam, she would have asked George out. She shook her thoughts and concentrated on the matter at hand.

Luke stared out of the cabin's window, wondering where Grace was. He didn't have the car, it was at Mrs Spencer's house. One of the nurses in the hospital had volunteered to drive them home, seeing how shaken up the pair had been. They gratefully accepted, all other thoughts driven from their minds.

He didn't know how long the rain would last, or even where to look for Grace. He hoped that wherever she was, she was safe.  
-----

Keys sat on the table next to the door, almost hauntingly. Grace spied them suspiciously, as if she wanted to glare at them so hard, she could melt them. The keys glinted, the hall light being on. It shone just below her eyes, but Grace didn't budge. She just stared at the keys, trying to decided what to do. Drive back, not knowing how to drive, or wait the storm out? Should she call Luke to tell him she's okay, and she'll be back soon? Should she try and hitch a ride with someone, wearing clothes that were big for her?

Grace knew she should at least call Luke. He would be worried about her, and the least she could do was to ease his stress. She made her way into the kitchen and picked up the phone off the cradle. She dialed the number and heard the continuous ring until Luke picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi Geek"  
----

Hearing Grace's voice on the phone made some of the tension building inside Luke relax. She was okay. Right now, it was all that mattered.

"Where are you?" he asked anxiously, wanting to know where she had run off to.

"I'm at Mrs Spencer's house," Grace replied, noting how anxious Luke sounded. "I'm fine."

Luke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose slightly, trying to rid the headache that had formed. "Come home. I'm sorry I was such a jerk."

"Yeah, you were. But it's okay."

"How are you going to get home? We left the car there, but you don't drive," Luke asked, worried.

"I know. I've been trying to figure that out myself."

The debated how she was going to get home, and they settled on Luke asking the neighbor for a ride to town, and go to Mrs Spencer's house. The tone of Luke's voice told Grace that this option wasn't up for debate.  
-----

Half an hour passed and Grace was beginning to fidget. She had abandoned her post at the front door and had made her way to the living room, where a shelf full of books seem to attract her attention. She knew that Mrs Spencer wasn't the type of woman to keep books on cooking and knitting part of her collection. Scanning the titles, Grace picked up a book with a title that was written in a strange language.

She sat on the sofa, a few bones cracking as she sat. Grace flipped through the first few pages, and found that the text wasn't strange, it was just the title that was written in Hieroglyphs. She never knew how interesting the Egyptians had been!

She combed through the pages, not noticing a car pulling up in the drive way, and the slamming of a door.

"Whacha reading there?" Luke asked, walking into the living room. Grace jumped, having been absorbed in the myth of Anubis.

"Just something I found on the shelf while waiting for your lazy ass to get here." Both teens laughed, their fight from before gone from their minds.

"Nice clothes," snickered Luke, after noticing the clothes Grace had put on. Grace scrunched her nose.

"It was either this, or staying in my bathing suit." The green sweater wasn't that bad, nor were the faded black shorts she was wearing. Not much else in Mrs Spencer's closet had fit her.

A smirk formed on Luke's face and Grace hit him playfully on his arm. "Shut up," she muttered, a pale pink forming on her tanned face.

-----

"I can't believe you swam all the way to Mrs Spencer's house," Luke exclaimed after the couple walked into the cabin.

"I can't believe you were such an ass," Grace replied, sitting down on the couch.

"I was- I am, going through something!"

"You still don't have to take it out on me!"

Luke growled. "When something's going on, you can't control how you feel. You can manipulate how you want to feel, but it's still there. Just cause you pretend not to care doesn't mean everyone's like that!"

"I care! I'm just not as willing to show my emotions!"

"See? That's your problem! We've been going out for two years! Two! I know things about you that no one else does. You trusted me about your mom, and everything, yet you don't trust me enough to tell me how you feel?"

"Why the hell do you care how I feel?" Grace spat back, folding her arms against her chest.

"Why do I care? Why do I care?" Luke laughed mirthlessly. "I care because I love you!"

"No you don't!" Grace screamed back, not wanting to accept that someone loved her. Especially Luke.

"Then why the hell would I put up with you if I didn't?" Luke roared.

Grace pounced on him, ready to attack him, but Luke caught her wrists. He pushed her hard against the wall to prevent her from twisting away. She stared into his eyes, noticing passion build up. His eyes were reflecting how she felt at the moment.

She kissed him hard, something he wasn't expecting. It took him a moment before kissing back, hard and passionately, unlike anything they're ever shared. The stumbled onto the sofa, never breaking contact.

Needing air, Luke broke the kiss. His shirt had been thrown on the floor and his hands had made their way up Grace's shirt. A blush appeared on the two of them at realization to where they were headed.

"Uh... Sorry," Luke said, scrambling off Grace. He heard the phone ring and dashed to get it, crashing into one thing after another.

Grace sat up from the sofa, fixing her shirt. Her breath was unsteady and irregular. She took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes. His voice still rung in her head, "I care because I love you". He couldn't... could he?

Luke picked up the phone cursing, having hit knee and his toes on the table and counter. "Hello?"

"Hey baby brother. What's shaking?"

"Kevin? How do you know the number?" Luke asked, surprised to hear his brother's voice.

"What happened to your voice? It sounds kinda low... oh!" Realization hit Kevin like a ton of bricks. "So, that's what's going on."

"No! It's not. I was... uh... sleeping! I was sleeping." Luke gulped. He was a horrible liar, but he hoped Kevin didn't ask any more about it.

"Okay then. Joan wanted me to call and tell you that George is coming up in a few days. She had to go see him, so she made me relay the message. And, oh boy, am I glad I did. Can you say 'blackmail'?" Luke groaned. "Bye Kevin"  
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**Author's note: Please don't kill me for this chapter ducks as people start throwing rotten food.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note: Okay, I'm thinking just a few more chapters, cause I'm starting to run out of ideas.**

**---------------------------------------------**

Joan walked in as her brother hung up the phone. "Did you just called Luke?" Joan asked, wondering why a smile was plastered on her brother's face.

"Yup."

"And what did he have to say?" Joan asked, still confused at the smile.

"It's more of what he didn't say that's making me smile..."

Joan spied Kevin suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

"Never mind." He wheeled away leaving Joan more confused than ever.

Joan shook her head. And her family thought _she_ was crazy...

-----

Joan sat on the sofa a turned on the television. She flipped through the channels till she found a movie on. Five minutes into the movie, though, the doorbell rang. Knowing no one else was home, Joan jumped up to get it. "Coming!" she yelled.

Opening the door, a man stood before her. She recognized the man right away. "Hello Mr. Polanski. How are you?" Joan asked, moving away from the door to let him walk by. Gingerly, he walked into the house, looking around nervously as if he knew something was going to pop out at him.

"Do you know where my daughter is?"

Joan bit her lip. She should lie to him, or tell him the truth, which would make both Grace and Luke angry at her. "I'm sorry sir, but I don't know where she went. All I know is that she's with my brother."

"In North Carolina," the rabbi answered. "She told us that much."

Joan nodded. She could tell that he was as troubled as her parents were, and probably approved even less to his only daughter and her boyfriend alone somewhere. "All we got was that they were safe and had enough money and that they would be coming home soon. Probably in the next few weeks."

"Good, good. That's good," he said, not really seeming aware of what he had said. Overcome with worry was what Joan suspected.

"If Grace calls, or Luke for that matter, I'll be sure to tell her to call you. I'm sure she will eventually."

"Yes, thank you. Please call me if anything comes that has to do with my daughter. I would very much appreciate it." He began walking towards the door before turning around to add, "If your brother so much as touched my daughter in an inappropriate matter, I shall hurt him."

Joan was going to retort that her brother wasn't like that, but Mr Polanksi left without another word. "How rude!" Joan muttered.

-------

George packed up his belongings and sighed. He rubbed his face a few times, before signing the discharge papers that the doctor had left on his bed. He was going home, but not for a friendly visit. George had talked to the doctors on the phone and they seemed hopeful of a ful recovery, but they couldn't wait any longer. George had given them consent to start whatever treatment necessary, but he still had to give ID, to prove that he was in fact George Spencer.

He grabbed his bag, and the papers on the bed, and left to the nurses station.

-------

George pulled into the Girardi's driveway, the house looking inviting to him. He knocked on the door, swinging on the balls of his feet. Joan opened the door with a smile. "George! Hey! What are you doing here?"

"I was... uh... actually looking for you," he said, a faint blush creeping on his face.

"What for?" Joan asked, aware at his discomfort. "Is this about your grandmother?"

George hesitated but nodded. "I, well only if you want, hoped you come with me?"

Joan nearly burst out laughing. Her parents weren't going to let her leave, especially with a guy as a companion. Since Luke left, her parents have been extra protective of her and Kevin, making sure they called every hour to prove they were alright. 'I'm sorry George, but my parents wouldn't allow me."

"But if Kevin came along also? We could tell your parents that we're going to pick up your brother and his girlfriend at the same time," argued George. Joan thought about it. She would have to call the couple at the cabin, but she didn't see a problem.

"Let me call Luke and see if it's okay, alright? We could probably stay there a few days to visit your grandmother and stuff too," Joan suggested as she picked up the phone and dialed the number.

-------

"Race ya!" Grace yelled as she and Luke ran from the dock, still wet from their swim.

They both squeezed in the door at the same time but Grace, being a bit more stronger than Luke, pushed him aside and ran to the counter. "I win! In your face!" she said, breathing heavily. Luke leaned against the counter next to her.

"What do you win?" he asked.

"This..." Grace leaned in to kiss Luke, but instead she started tickling him.

"Ah! Grace," he laughed, "stop!"

Grace continued tickling him until the shrill ring of the phone interrupted them. "I'll get it!" yelled Luke, the ringing of the phone having distracted Grace just long enough for Luke to get away.

"Hello?" Luke asked, picking up the phone. He was still chuckling and Grace was trying not to laugh.

"Luke? What's wrong with you? And, why do I hear laughing. Is that... Grace? Laughing?" Joan asked, her voice sounding almost panicked.

"Joan, what do you want? Grace and I were just having a bit of fun..."

"Ew! I don't want to know! Maybe I should call back..."

"Nah, you called, so what do you want?" Luke asked, a smirk on his face.

------

After hanging up the phone, Luke turned his attention back to Grace, who was now nibbling on a cookie. "Joan wants to know if she, George and Kevin can spend a few night here while he visits his grandmother in the hospital," Luke said, grabbing a cookie from the bag in front of Grace.

Grace shrugged. "I guess."

"And we'll probably have to go home after that."

Grace snapped her head up. "What?"

"Yeah, well, we've stayed her for a month now, and we're beginning to run low on money, and food for that matter. And, I promised my parents I would be back before school and all..."

Grace sighed. "Yeah, I guess. My parents are probably worried sick about me. Though, I believe they should suffer a little more," she said. "Oh well."

Luke grinned, raising his eyebrow suggestively. "Yeah, but you know, we still have another week and a half left..."

"If you were anyone else, I would beat the crap out of you," Grace said before she kissed Luke.

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**Author's note: Wow, two chapters in two days. I'm impressed!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note: This is my birthday gift to me! I hope you all like the story so far.**

**---------------------------------------------**

"George!" Helen cried. "I didn't know you were coming over! My, have you grow!"

George smiled. "And you haven't changed a bit, Mrs Girardi," he said, extending his hand.

"Oh, come here you," Helen said, hugging the man tightly. "How long are you staying in Arcadia?"

"Not long," he replied. "But, I have a favor to ask of you. As you may know, my grandmother's in the hospital-"

"Oh dear!"

"Yeah..." he took a minute to clear his head. "Anyways, I was hoping that Joan and Kevin could accompany me there. I would be so lonely driving up there all alone, and I would like some time to catch up with these two," George said, hoping to sway Helen's decision.

"I would have to talk to Will about it, though it makes me a little uneasy that all three of my children will be far from me. Joan probably told you that Luke ran away with his girlfriend-"

"Yes, she did."

"-and I don't like that they are alone somewhere. But, if you have Joan and Kevin..." Helen trailed off, leaving the rest to figure out what she meant.

George grinned. "Well, I also have an alternative motive for bringing your children with me. See, I know where Luke and his girlfriend, Grace I think her name was, are hiding out." Upon seeing Helen's face he continued. "They made me promise not to tell, and that Grace was going to 'kick my ass' if I told anyone. And, from what I heard, Grace's threat should not be taken lightly."

Helen chuckled. "That's Grace for you."

"Since we are going to pass where they are staying, Joan and Kevin are going to come back with them while I stay in North Carolina with my grandmother."

Helen hugged him again. "Thank you. I will talk to Will about this, and I'm sure he'll let them go with you."

-----

"Wow, George. I forgot how persuasive you can be," Joan said as the pair sat on the couch.

"Hey, it's what I do."

Joan laughed. "I'm glad you're taking us along with you. The parentals were getting way too over-protective and it was creeping me out."

"I know what you mean," he said, but a small frown formed on his face. "It's just... never mind."

Joan turned to him. "What?"

"It's nothing."

"If it was nothing, you wouldn't have brought it up," Joan argued.

George sighed. "It's just something... you don't have to worry about." A new smile was plastered on his face, yet this one seemed a lot less cheery.

-----

"Will, I think we should let the kids go off with him. He knows where Luke and Grace are. I want my baby home," Helen said, getting ready for bed.

"Where is George now?"

"He's in Luke's room. But, I want to let them get Luke."

"Well, as a cop, I don't think it would be wise. We haven't seen this boy in years. Who knows what he's like now. But, as a father, my heart tells me to let them go."

Helen walked up to her husband and rested her hands around his neck. "Which part of you is screaming the loudest?"

Will sighed. "The father in me is."

-----

At breakfast the next morning, Will and Helen told the three younger ones they could all go, as long as they called once in a while to say where they were. Joan jumped up and hugged her parents. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

The trio ran upstairs to pack after eating their food and left within the hour. "Don't forget to call!" Helen reminded them as they pulled out of the driveway.

"Yes Mom! Bye!" Joan and Kevin called back.

"Bye Mr and Mrs Girardi!" George said. "Thanks for everything!"

----

The ride was mostly filled with reminiscing, and the occasional argue over what radio station to put it on. Joan fell asleep after a few hours, leaving Kevin and George to talk.

"So, you got a girl?" George asked, as he changed lanes on the auto route.

"Well, there was this girl, Lily. But, she's an ex-nun and not quite sure about relationships and stuff. She's gone this summer to visit her parents, but I plan on asking her out when she gets back."

"Cool, cool."

"You?"

"Well, I broke up with my girlfriend a few months ago," he said, shaking his head. "Donno what I saw in her. Just another woman who doesn't understand my intellectual side." Both men laughed at that. "But, seriously, I was hoping to see my ex in North Carolina. The only reason we broke up was because I was off to University in New York, and she was staying there. Now that I'm done, well, I'd like to get back together with her."

"Awesome," Kevin said.

The rest of the trip was silent, except for the soft music coming from the radio.

----

Grace and Luke were swimming in the lake when a car pulled up. Neither recognized the car, but they still got out of the water and Grace wrapped a towel around herself. Joan came bounding out of the car and hugged Luke and Grace tightly.

"I missed you guys!" she squealed. Both Grace and Luke chuckled.

"Hey Joan," Luke said. "Who did you drive here with?" He noticed a man get out of the driver's side and help Kevin out of the passenger seat.

A giant grin appeared on her face. "You'll never believe who."

"Girardi, just spit it out already. I don't like the idea of some guy I don't know see me in my bathing suit," Grace said, a scowl on her tanned face.

"Grace, I never knew you had such nice legs. I should get you to wear skirts..."

"Girardi, do you want to wear a body bag as your outfit?" Joan shook her head. "Good. Then never tell me that again."

"Wow, so I should be afraid of an ass kicking then," the man said, walking next to Kevin.

"And who the hell are you?" Grace snapped, feeling uncomfortable in her bathing suit.

He laughed. "Luke, you gotta remember me. String Luke."

Luke's mouth dropped. "George?"

"One and only. And this must be your girlfriend. Mate, you've done good for yourself." He eyed Grace up and down, making her fidget nervously. "Very good."

Luke blushed. "Yeah, well, how about we go inside so Grace and I can change. We'll meet you in the living room." With that, Grace ran into the house, trying to hold on to her towel, Luke walking behind her.

----

Luke and Grace came down a few minutes later, Luke in a pair of khaki shorts and a white t-shirt. Grace took up her usual clothes once again, long pants and a Jimmy Hendrix t-shirt. Luke nearly groaned in disappointment. He'd rather liked the shorts and tank tops she had begun to wear.

"That's the Grace I know," Kevin said. Grace scowled. "Definitely the Grace I know."

They all sat on the sofa, and Kevin went to get a bottle of water from the fridge.

"So, Luke, you guys are coming home with Kevin and I, right?"

Luke nodded. "Our money's run out. We only have a few dollars left that we were going to use for gas for the ride home."

"Good, 'cause Mom's been freaking out since you've gone."

"Sorry about that. I just had to get away." An awkward silent filled the room.

"Well, I think I'll go out and get us a pizza for supper," Joan suddenly said, rushing out before anyone could object. She grabbed the keys to George's car and closed the door.

"Okay then. So, Luke, how'd you meet your girlfriend? You two are total opposites."

After telling George some of the story, with Grace's comments thrown in, they all decided to play cards while they waited for Joan to get back.

----

Joan stopped at the first pizza place she could find. The sign read "Pizza Del Dio", and Joan walked in. A gruff man stood behind the counter. He scratched his bald head.

"Bonjourno. What can I get you?" he asked.

"A half vegetarian and half pepperoni pizza please."

"That'll be 15$ Joan."

"God," she said.

"What do you think "Dio" means?"

"God in Italian. My dad sometimes swears in Italian and drags your name through it."

"Yes. I know. Now, I while you wait for your pizza, let me give you some advice. Remember the woman George was talking about in the car?"

"I was sleeping, how would I have..." God gave Joan a knowing look. "All right. Fine! I was eavesdropping. Happy?"

"He wants to meet her. Make him meet her. Visit his grandmother with him."

"What?" Joan raised her eyebrow.

"Too complicated?"

"Not complicated enough. It's strange, even for you." A sudden realization hit Joan. "Oh my gosh. Are you losing your touch?"

"Here's your pizza. Have a nice day!" Joan took the pizza and handed the money to God. She glared at him with what she hopped was an evil glare before leaving the pizza place.

---

The smell of pizza filled the air as Joan entered the cabin. "Food!" everyone yelled together. They all grabbed a piece and went to sit on the couch, with Kevin on the other side of the table. Joan watched as Luke and Grace smiled secretly at each other, and noticed that they seemed so happy, so alive here.

She sat on the floor and grabbed a piece of pizza for herself, trying to get involved in the conversation going on, but God's request lingered in her mind.

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**Author's note: Please Review! I got about 1 review for the last two chapters! Thanks to al l who've read though. I hope you've enjoyed my story so far!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's note: There's probably only going to be one or two more chapters for this story.**

**--- -------------------------------------------**

George left a little after midnight, telling them he would be back in the morning to drive them to the hospital. He even promised to bring them breakfast. "Now Luke, don't get too cozy with your girlfriend," he taunted. "I don't want to be late tomorrow because you too didn't get enough sleep." Grace threw her pop can at George, but the door closed before the can could hit him.

"I don't like him," Grace said.

---

Morning came soon enough, and just like promised, George arrived with some breakfast. He had gotten some bagels and cream cheese from the local store near his grandmother's house. After they all ate, they all piled into George's car, with George and Kevin in the front, and the three teens in the back.

---

"This is her room," Luke said, walking into the single bed room.

"Luke! Grace! How nice to see you again. And who have you brought? Is that..." Mrs Spencer let her sentence trail off for a moment, tears forming in her eyes. "George, is that you? Look at you!"

George hugged his grandmother, trying not to hurt her. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better, but it could be worse." She smiled warmly. "I'm so glad you're here. Who's the man in the wheelchair and the young woman with him?"

"Gramma, you remember Joan and Kevin Girardi?"

Mrs Spencer gaped at the pair. "I didn't recognize you!"

"I've grown taller," Joan said as Kevin said, "I've shrunk."

"I noticed."

The rest of the visit was filled with talks about what has happened over the years.

A nurse came in an hour later to do a check up on Mrs Spencer. "George! I didn't know you were in town," the nurse said. "I'm the one in charge of your grandmother."

George looked up and his mouth dropped. "Amy? Is that you? Wow, you look... amazing."

Amy smiled. "I can believe it's been 3 years. You haven't changed much."

"Neither have you."

Suddenly, a light click on in Joan's mind. _This_ was the girl God was talking about. "Since it seems like you two know each other, how about you come over to supper tonight?" Joan blurted out. "I mean, only if your not busy." A faint blush began creeping over her skin.

Amy smiled. "I would like that, if George doesn't mind."

George laughed. "Since it's not my grandmother's house we're eating at, it's fine with me." He gave Amy another smile, one that she returned.

"My shift ends at 5, but I don't know where you live, uh..."

"My name's Joan, and I could..."

"I'll come pick you up," George said. "And then we can get supper to bring back to their cabin."

"Sounds good. See you then," she said, before leaving.

For the rest of the visit, Joan noticed a dazed look on George's face.

-----

At six o'clock, George came back to the cabin with Amy and some Chinese food. "They just opened that last year. It's pretty good," Amy commented as she set it down on the counter. "Nice place you guys have here. Do you come here often?" she asked.

Everyone laughed and told her about Luke and Grace's running away, much to the horror of the couple. "I think it's sweet," Amy said. Grace rolled her eyes, but she caught Luke's eyes and smiled.

"Let's eat. I'm starving!" Kevin exclaimed.

They settled down to eat, and George broke the silence that had settled. "I didn't know they had a nurse program at the university in Henderson."

"They do, but it's not a very good course. So, instead I went for my courses in Durham. It's a more modern town with modern medical procedures," Amy replied. "And what have you been doing, Mr Big-Shot-New-Yorker?"

"Actually, I've been studying the science of medicine. It's quite fascinating, really."

"How ironic that you two are both studying things that have to do with medicine," Joan said. Feeling all eyes on her, she stopped talking. She glanced up and thought, _God, you know how much I hate to embarrass myself._ The conversation returned to normal, and Joan tried not to say something stupid.

"Well, it's getting late, and I have a shift tomorrow. It was lovely to meet you all, and I hope we can meet again for supper," Amy said as she put on her sweater.

"We're probably leaving in a few days, so hopefully we can meet for lunch or supper before then," Kevin said.

"Sounds good," Amy said, and then she and George left.

"Amy seems nice," Luke commented.

"She and George used to date," Kevin said, "but they had break-up when they went off to university."

Joan smiled and hoped that God didn't ask her to do anything else for a while. "Well, I'm tired. Good night!" Joan said, going upstairs. She went into her parents' room, where she was sleeping for the next few days, and lay down on the bed. God had once said that everything she did caused ripples, everything anyone did caused them. Joan tried to figure what the ripples would be now, but she was so tired, that she just fell asleep.

---

Not even twenty minutes later, the three others decided to go to bed also. Luke and Grace followed Kevin, who was crawling up the stairs, and then separated at their doors.

"'Night" Kevin said, and the two other mumbled a "good-night".

Grace got into her bed, but didn't feel tired. She was going home soon, and she didn't want to. If it was up to her, Grace would stay here for ever. Just her and the geek.

She didn't want to get back to her drunken mother who would slur her insults and name-calling, and a father who looked the other way while his daughter baby-sat a grown woman. Not to mention the fact that she would probably be forbidden to go see Luke or even to leave the house. Except to go to the synagogue, where her family pretended to be perfect in every which way.

The thought of returning to her normal life made her shudder. She had found a new way to live, were you could do what you want, whenever you wanted. Grace always had to follow her parents' rule - to an extent, of course- but, for the first time, she had been truly independent. And how she loved it.

Signs of sleep were not coming, so Grace decided she was going to go out on the roof. She opened her window and found a ledge that she could climb. Slowly, she made her way to the roof and sat down, gazing up at the stars.

---

Kevin had fallen asleep not more than 10 minutes after they had gotten into bed. But Luke's mind was still working and he could not fall asleep. He and Grace were having so much fun at the cabin, and he didn't want to leave. Grace had become different, more playful and a lot happier during the month that they had been at this cabin. She was opening up more than she ever had, and Luke wasn't sure if she was going to stay this happy. He hopped that she would stay this happy- if not in front of everyone else, then when they were alone.

For someone who felt tired a few minutes ago, Luke was now wide awake. Knowing that he wasn't going to sleep anytime soon, he opened his window and went on the roof. He noticed Grace sitting there, her arms wrapped around her legs. Her hair had grown a little since the beginning of summer, resting just past her shoulders, and the wind was playing with it.

Luke sat down next to Grace and she looked at him. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Yup."

"Same."

The couple sat in silence, just looking out towards the sky. "I'm going to miss it here," Grace sighed.

"I know what you mean," Luke said. "Out here it's just so..."

"Peaceful?"

"Yeah, Peaceful."

A few moments went by before Luke began talking. "In ancient times, people would worship the sun, or Ra as it was called." Grace looked at Luke funnily but he kept talking. "The sun would help grow the plants, as well as to bring heat and light. Some people worshiped the moon. Not many people did though, for it brought darkness and coldness. But, those who did worship it saw it's beauty in it's different fazes. They didn't mind the dark or the cold for they knew it could also bring out the stars and, if they were lucky, a light would shine from it."

"Geek, what are you talking about?" Grace asked, wondering what Luke was getting at.

"I worship the moon, Grace, for even if it's not always in the sky in all it's splendor, I know that soon enough, I will see it's beauty."

Grace raised her eyebrow and watched as Luke began to blush.

"Dude, is that some weird geek-type-science-metaphor way of saying you love me?" The blush on Luke's face intensified.

"Maybe," he mumbled.

Grace grinned. "Well, I gotta give you points of originality. I doubt any girl in this world has ever had such a strange, yet somehow sweet, way of being told that they're loved."

Luke was sure that Grace was going to burst out laughing, but when he looked at her, he saw that a shy smile was on her face. "What?" she asked.

"You're not laughing."

"Why would I be laughing?"

"I don't know, but I sort of expected you to start laughing... unless you feel the same way..." Luke's face lit up at the thought. A blush spread on Grace's face and she tried to turn her head, but Luke saw it. "Do you?"

Grace punched his arm lightly. "You never know..."

Luke's jaw dropped. "Y-you feel the same?" Grace shrugged, but the look in her eyes told him that she did indeed feel the same. A sheepish grin appeared on his face. Grace rolled her eyes at his grin, but grabbed his shirt to bring him closer. When their lips touched, the need for words became obsolete.

An hour later, and many kisses later, Luke laid down on the roof, and Grace rested her head on his chest. "Maybe I should tell you that I love you more often," Luke joked. Grace laughed.

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**Author's note: Sorry it took me so long to update, but that last scene had to be just perfect. I was racking my brain trying to make it the best possible. I hope you all like it!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's note: This is the last chapter! Thanks to all who read and a even bigger thanks to those who reviewed: CharlesTheBold, krystalallizedapplegrahamcrackerfershizznit (awesome name by the way), oth rox, Lola12568, Hezziebob182, pixierock88, Elizabeth Theresa, bonny, JoA fan, and everyone else that reviewed!**

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The few days that were left seem to go by so quickly that before they knew it, the group was getting ready to go home. Grace seemed much more snappy than normal, and only Luke knew why. Neither wanted to face the consequences of their running away, but they both knew that they wouldn't get away without punishment.

"Grace, what's wrong?" Joan asked, concerned.

"Nothing," Grace snapped.

"You can tell me, you know."

"There's nothing to tell."

"Worried about going home?" Joan asked, noticing she pushed a button.

"Yeah, I am. Happy now?"

"No. I still want to know why you don't want to go home. Are you worried about what your parents are going to do to you?"

"No," Grace said, thought truly she was a little worried. _More about what they'll do to Luke_, she thought.

"Why then?"

"Why do you want to know?" Grace was getting angry. Joan had no right in her business!

"'Cause you're my friend, I care about you, believe it or not." Joan pushed.

"Well, it's not really any of your business why I don't want to go home!"

"What's going on in here?" Luke asked, coming down the stairs. Both women glared at him. "Okay, okay. I can tell when I'm not wanted!"

"Geek, tell your sister to mind her own damn business."

"Luke, tell your girlfriend that I have the right to know since I'm her friend!"

"How about I don't get in the middle? And, anyways Grace, I wanted to talk to you," Luke said, motioning for them to take a walk.

"Fine," Grace mumbled, stalking out of the door with Luke right behind.

"I don't know _how_ Luke deals with her sometimes," Joan sighed.

---

"What do you--" The rest of Grace's phrase was cut off by Luke's lips on hers. She melted into his embrace almost instantly without even realizing it. And it scared her.

"That's all," Luke said, a satisfied smirk on his face noticing the look on Grace's face.

Her mood suddenly changed from foul to playful. "Oh really?" Grace said, a grin on her face. She kissed him again, and they began walking backwards. Just as Grace pulled away, Luke stumbled backwards and fell into the water. Grace laughed at Luke as he broke the water and sputtered.

"Hey! You did that on purpose!" Luke said, coughing. He swam to the dock and started climbing the ladder. "Help me up?" he asked.

"Fine," Grace said, rolling her eyes. As she held out her hand to help him, Luke pulled her into the water. "You little--" she started, when she got to the surface, but Luke cut her off by jumping in, splashing his girlfriend.

Luke swam up to her, and started ticking her stomach. Above the water, Grace was laughing. "Luke! Stop it!" she cried out, laughing. The blonde boy was grinning when he popped his head out of the water.

Joan went outside and started laughing as she saw the couple in the water, fully clothed. "What happened?" Joan called out. The pair climbed the ladder hastily and tried to explain what happened, but neither could get a sentence out between their laughing and Joan's.

After they stopped laughing, Joan said, "Glad I'm not wet like you."

Grace and Luke glanced at each other, twin grins on their faces. When Joan turned to walk back to the house, the couple grabbed her arms and forcefully threw her into the water. As Joan spluttered and coughed to the surface, she saw the couple retreat into the house, laughing.

Joan groaned and grumbled as she made her way to the house, dripping wet.

----

After the trio changed and finished putting their bags into the car. They would stop by the hospital to say bye to Mrs. Spencer, George and Amy. Then, it was time for them to head home.

Mrs. Spencer was sad to see them go, but hoped that Grace and Luke didn't get into to much trouble.

"Come back to visit soon," she said, hugging each in turn.

"I don't think we could stay away, even if we tried," Luke said, smiling warmly.

-----

Their next stop was to Mrs. Spencer's house, where George was staying. They had promised they would stop by before they left. They got out of the car, Kevin staying in the passenger seat, and rang the doorbell. They heard a giggle and a laugh, plus two pairs of feet shuffling to the door.

"Hello?" George said, opening the door. "Oh, hey. It's you guys." He waved at Kevin. "I, uh, guess you're going?"

"Yeah... listen, I was wondering if you know where Amy lives. We all want to say bye to her," Joan said. She was a little curious to who was in the house with him.

"She lives down the street, three houses down. But, she's not there right now." Joan noticed how uncomfortable he looked.

"Why?" Joan inquired.

"'Cause I'm right here,"Amy said, popping out from behind the door.

"Amy!" Joan said, shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"George invited me over. Y'all going home now?" she asked.

The three teenagers nodded. "We got to get home to get theses two runaways in trouble," Joan grinned.

"Joan!" Luke protested just as Grace growled.

The brunette laughed. "Fine, fine. Sorry. But, we really should get going now," Joan said. "Bye you two. Come visit us, okay?" She hugged the two and then walked backed to the car.

"See you George, Amy," Luke said.

"Yeah, bye," Grace echoed. The couple followed Joan's footsteps and sat in the back seat of the car.

George and Amy waved as Joan backed up and drove off.

----

After an hour of driving in silence, Joan decided to strike up a conversation. "So, Luke, Grace, was your trip fun?" she teased. But, when she looked into the review mirror, she saw that the couple was sleeping. Grace's head was resting on Luke's shoulder and his head drooped forward.

"Kevin, look at them," Joan said. "Aren't they cute?"

Her brother turned around as best as he could. He stifled a laugh. "I don't know about cute, but this could be good blackmail next time Grace threaten's to beat you up."

"I wish I had a camera!"

----

When Joan parked her car in the Girardi's driveway, Helen and Will rushed out to meet their kids. "Joan! Kevin! I'm so glad you're home! Where are Luke and Grace?" A look of worry passed over Helen's face.

"Don't worry Mom, they're sleeping in the back seat," Joan answered with a smirk, getting Kevin's wheelchair out of the trunk with her dad's help.

Kevin turned around in his seat. "Luke, Grace, we're HOME!" he shouted the last word and startled the sleeping pair.

"What?" Luke asked, rubbing his eyes. Grace groaned and rubbed her stiff neck.

As soon as they got out of the car, Helen hugged them both tightly. "Do either of you know how much trouble you'll be? Grace, I don't know much about how your parent's discipline you, but if it's anything like how we do it here, you'll be in big trouble."

"Mom," Luke said, "you're choking me!"

"Sorry, but I've missed you!"

"I missed you too," Luke replied as Helen let go of him.

----

Grace left not even half an hour later. "Gotta go do some damage control Geek," she told him. "I'll be on tonight around 11 after _she_" Grace made a movement of a person falling down with her hand. "Got it?"

Luke nodded. Since his family was watching them he smiled. "Bye."

Grace smiled. "See ya."

After Grace left, Luke turned to his family, ready to endure his punishment.

-----

Grace walked home thinking, like she always does. But, tonight, her thoughts weren't on how she would get out of trouble. They were on Luke and that beautiful cabin. She didn't care if she got in trouble. She didn't care if they forbade her to see her boyfriend. All she cared about is the wonderful month that she spend with him, and her memories were not things her parents could take away.

"_Well, scientifically, they could alter my brain..."_ A smirk rose to her face. _"Maybe I've spent too much time with Luke..."_

She opened the door to her house and right away, the stench of alcohol met her nose. Grace cringed at the smell, having gotten use to the refreshing outdoor air. "Mom?" Grace called. "Dad? Are you guys home?"

"Gracie, is that you?" the drunken slur of her mother's tone was like a cold shower, killing Grace's good mood.

"Hi Mom," Grace said, facing her mother. A bottle was already in her mother's hand- it looked like vodka- and gave her a grim smile.

"Gracie! I haven't seen you in a while! Where have you been? No, wait, I remember," Sarah Polanski slurred. "You went to have a wild love affair with that blond friend of yours, Lucky, no Lucas..."

"Luke," Grace said, gritting her teeth. "And it wasn't a wild love affair."

"Oh, I bet it was! You two probably got it on, all alone in that place, probably all romantic and stuff," Sarah hugged her bottle dreamily. "I wonder if someone that scrawny is good in bed. I've never been with a scrawny guy, only big men like your dad..."

"Mom!" Grace cried out, appalled at being told who her mother's been with.

"Sorry Gracie, but you know me! I'm a curious person!"

"A little too curious in the booze department," Grace muttered under her breath.

"What did you say?" her mother might be drunk, but her father, who had just came in the room, was not. "And when did you get home?"

"It's nice to see you too," Grace said sarcastically, folding her arms across her chest.

The Rabbi ignored his daughter's rude comment. "I hope that boy didn't do anything to... hurt you."

"Luke, hurt me? Are you kidding? I could take his scrawny ass anytime." The Rabbi coughed. "Look, we didn't do anything. And, even if we did, do you really believe that I would tell you? I might end up ruining our "perfect family" standard," Grace spat.

"You have defied me for the last time. You are grounded for a month and your mother and I," Sarah giggled at the seriousness of the discussion, making the Rabbi sigh, "forbid you too see the Girardi boy."

"Whatever," Grace said, going up the stairs two at a time.

-----

(AN: I think these are their IM names, but I'm not positive. If you know them, let me know and I'll change them right away)

Black-widow-4-u: Hey Geek. How bad is it?

GravityBoy: Not as bad as I thought it would be. I mean, the probability of me getting off not too hard is less than 10

Black-widow-4-u: Let me guess... your parents felt bad about pushing you to run, so they only grounded you for 2 weeks?

GravityBoy: 3 weeks, but yeah. From now on, they said they would "listen more to how I'm feeling" or something like that. I was still in shock about not being grounded for a year that I wasn't really listening. But I heard the part were they forbad me to see you for a month. They think you're too much of a bad influence. What about you?

Black-widow-4-u: A month, and I'm also "forbidden" to see you. Like they'd even notice if I left. But, think about it. It'll sorta be like when we first started "courting", as you put it. You know, sneaking around and such.

GravityBoy: I can't wait. Should be we meet by that café again? Hopefully, this time I'll be more co-operative on how to get behind the wall without being seen...

Black-widow-4-u: If you don't your 5 minutes will be cut short :)

The End

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**Author's note: I'm writing an epilogue because I forgot to add something. **


	13. Epilogue

**Author's note: After I posted the last chapter, I realized I had left some things unexplained. So, I decided to add an epilogue. **

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A bell announcing a customer brought Joan's attention from the magazine she was reading to the person who just walked it. A groan escape Joan's lips as she saw who it was. It was not a customer at all. It wasn't even a person.

"What do you want?" Joan asked.

"I would have preferred being greeted more along the lines of 'Well, hello God. How are you on this fine day that you've created?' but I guess it's too much to ask for a teenagers. I knew I shouldn't have given them such sass," Cute Boy God said.

"Well, hello God. How are you on this fine day that you've created?" Joan mocked.

"Now that's better."

"Now, what do you want?"

"To congratulate you on a job well done. I won't ask you for anything else for the rest of the summer."

"But, at least answer me this: what where the ripples for this mission I was just on?" Joan asked. She had racked her brain trying to figure something out, but all she could think of was George and Amy together. It seemed unlikely that God would want her to play matchmaker. Then again, he's made her do stranger things.

"So, you've finally figured out that the missions aren't about you, but about the ripples. Very good Joan." He nodded. "Fine, I can tell you."

"For once," Joan muttered.

"I choose to ignore that comment," he said. "I told you to call Grace. She was happy, remember? You never knew her to be that happy. Then, I told you to talk to your dad, and you found out about George Spencer."

"You let him get stabbed!"

"It was the free will of those men to do so. Then, you invited Amy to dinner, and that made George realize that their love wasn't dead. In fact, it had barely even started."

"So, I was acting Cupid for George and Amy? I thought that it was up to faith," Joan said, puzzled.

"Yes, faith that it could work. You see, George and Amy will have a special child. A child with the gift to see and hear me. A gift to change the world, for the better."

"They're going to get married and have kids?"

"Much sooner than they think."

"What does that mean?" Joan asked, but God just waved as he walked out of the store. "Figures!"

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**Author's note: Okay, now it's over. Like I said, I had forgotten to add this and chapter 12 was already long enough.**


End file.
